


(and you need to know) that nobody could take your place

by cycleagle



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Gender-Neutral Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Multi, Other, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Temporary Character Death, is it major character death if the character comes back eventually, lots of friendships but i dont want to clog the tags, no vore yet surprisingly, venom eats a purple meanie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-08-27 09:06:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16699546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cycleagle/pseuds/cycleagle
Summary: Thanos snaps and Eddie's gone. Venom's consumed with grief and anger for their lost host and will do anything it takes to get him back. Somehow, they end up in Wakanda, with a set of superheroes who've lost it all.(Alternately titled: Venom beats the shit out of Thanos for killing their husband with the help of their new buddies in Wakanda)





	1. my heart feels cold as ice, but it's anybody's guess

**Author's Note:**

> boobo the fool is back after 900 years with another fic!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i couldnt find what i was looking for on ao3 so i got off my ass and wrote it myself

New York is a beautiful city, it’s true. There are skyscrapers that touch the sky and kiss the wind, the river looks beautiful against the reddening sky of the city that never sleeps, the pigeons fly in flocks around the buildings like schools of fish swarming in coral reefs. Even so, Eddie doesn’t like the city much. Too much drama, a life too fast for him and Anne to keep up with, and too many lies to expose (which, unsurprisingly, is what gets him run out of the city). Unfortunately, there’s a conference with yet another megalomaniac with deep pockets in Philadelphia he has to get to, and the JFK Airport in Queens is a necessary step in his plan.  
  
Being back in New York causes Eddie some anxiety, but it’s cheaper to simply land in New York and take a rental down to his Philadelphia and Eddie needs to eat, so New York it is. Somehow, the anxiety pooling in Eddie’s gut mixed with Venom’s vague hunger and the sheer boredom of being stuck in a plane for five hours in the economy section made for an uncomfortable flight. Even without their own bias, the flight was awful; the plane was cold as ice when they entered and was boiling by the time they got off, the thirty-something mother of two is quiet and so are her children (god bless) but she smells so strongly of cheap perfume from Kohl’s that Eddie gets a migraine, and they get a window seat which would have been fine, had Eddie not gotten the sudden urge to pee from Venom getting bored and settling too close to his bladder and as such has to climb over said mother of two (twice!) to go to the bathroom.  
  
All in all, not the best flight for Eddie or Venom. Fortunately, it’s over and they can go to the car rental in peace. They decide on taking a taxi to the car rental which turns out to be a good idea and also a terrible one at once. Good because their driver is a New York native, which means that he has seen too much in his life to care about having a man who talks to himself in his backseat; bad because they get stuck in traffic for an hour, which is stupid because the rental was only supposed to be twenty minutes away.  
  
Eddie’s resting his head on the passenger window, beginning to zone out to Venom’s constant dialogue of what they think the driver tastes like ( ** _OLD MEN TASTE LIKE MINT TEA, EDDIE. THAT’S JUST HOW IT IS, EDDIE_** ) when it happens. There’s a weird feeling that goes through the city, like something important happened somewhere but they just don’t know what, and then people begin disappearing. The always-moving New York crowd stops moving, breathing, walking.  
  


That’s when the screaming starts. People are disintegrating left and right, turning into dust with no warning. The people near them begin screaming and crying, as they realize what is happening. Panic rises in Eddie and Venom’s throat, and they look down at their hands. They’re the same as always: strong and lightly calloused, with scars on the knuckles from fights in college.   
  
Relief crashes through them, but before they have time to celebrate and figure out what the holy fuck is going on, they notice their index finger begin to swirl away. Venom’s tendrils materialize and try to regenerate their fingers, to fix something, but they can’t find anything wrong with their body. Even if they could find something wrong, the decay is too fast and Eddie’s body is falling apart too fast for any symbiote to keep up.   
  
“ **NO** !” screams Venom, uncaring if anyone hears them, unaware of anything but their vanishing host.   
  
“Ve-venom? Venom, stop! You’re hurting yourself,” cries Eddie, somehow more concerned that Venom was burning too much energy trying to do something, fix something than that his limbs were turning into actual dust before his and Venom’s eyes. Obviously, the situation hasn’t set in properly, but it only takes a second for Eddie to see his bicep disappear and for his eyes to widen.    
  
He only manages an _ I love you Ven _ \- before the deterioration reaches his head and he’s gone.   
  
Venom’s vision goes white and they  _ scream _ . It’s quite a few minutes before they come back to the present   
  
They’re alone on a leather taxi seat, the taxi driver passed out in the front, partially from shock and partially from the sheer volume that Venom was able to reach. Venom themself is shaking and beginning to hurt from not being able to breathe, but they can’t focus on anything besides the lack of Eddie, the lack of their bond, of another mind pressed to theirs so closely they can’t tell the difference between the two.   
  
Life is meaningless without Eddie, and Venom is fully prepared to choke to death without him. They look around and see Eddie’s bags on the seat next to them. They can almost hear him, they can almost feel the pressure of Eddie’s body as Eddie laughs and calls them sweetheart and darling. Their vision begins to fade and they realize: Eddie wouldn’t have wanted this, for Venom to die right after him. He’d have wanted for Venom to live and move on. Venom doesn’t want that, though. He doesn’t want another host, perfect or not. He wants  _ Eddie _ , with a dumb fear of heights and toes that never warm up completely, and not enough money to match his generosity. He wants  _ Eddie _ , who buys them chocolate, who eats his sandwiches upside-down because he swears it makes it easier, who loves plants but can only keep one alive at a time because he always forgets which plants like water and which don’t.   
  
Venom wants Eddie, and he will destroy the universe if that is what it will take to bring him back. They make their choice.   
  
They hop into the taxi driver’s body and feel  _ wrongwrongnoteddieNOTEDDIE _ . They crawl into their host’s brain for anything, any information which could possibly help them, but the driver is so old and out of touch that all Venom can gain is that Tony Stark can probably be found in his tower.   
  
They get out of the car and hightail it to the tower with Venom safely inside the driver’s chest because they won’t wrap themselves around him like they did Eddie and Anne, it’s too energy consuming and gross for them. Venom eats the driver as soon as they reach the glass doors. They hear Eddie’s disappointed voice going,  _ we don’t eat random people Venom, only the bad ones! _ in their mind like an afterthought and they feel a twinge of guilt before they’re consumed in their anger once more. Fuel is fuel to Venom and to get Eddie back Venom will need all the fuel they can get.   
  
They hop from host to host, leaving no bodies and trace they were ever there. They end up in some high-ranking project manager's body, some man who’s been watching the news and knows that Tony Stark is not, in fact, in his tower, but rather in a space donut that left Earth almost half a day ago. They scream and their host begins to feel their eyes fill with tears that are most certainly not his.   
  


**_EDDIE!_ **

  
“W-who is this? What’s going on? Who is Eddie?” chokes out the project manager between sobs.   
  
**WE WERE VENOM AND NOW EDDIE IS GONE. WHERE ARE THE AVENGERS?** growls Venom, and his host blubbers.  **TELL ME, OR I WILL RIP YOUR FLESH FROM YOUR BONES.**   
  
“I-I don’t know! Tony’s been missing for ten hours and he was last seen in London! Black Panther lives in Wakanda, maybe they’re there? Please let me go I have to look for my family, I have to see if they’re ali-”   
  
**WE WILL GO TO WAKANDA. TAKE US THERE.**   
  
“B-but my family!”   
  
**EITHER THEY’RE DEAD OR THEY AREN’T. THAT WILL NOT CHANGE, NOR DOES IT MATTER. I WILL FIX THIS AND I WILL GET EDDIE BACK. TAKE ME TO WAKANDA OR I WILL FIND ANOTHER HOST AND BITE YOUR HEAD OFF. YOU’RE JUST A VESSEL TO ME, REMEMBER?**   
  
“I- okay, uh. Venom, right? Well, there’s an automated cargo plane leaving the tower in a little over thirty minutes, you could take that, right?” The project manager is an awful host, but Venom can almost appreciate their willingness to cooperate. No doubt that came from working under Stark for so long.   
  
**ACCEPTABLE. I WILL TAKE THE DIRECTIONS AND GO.** Venom plunges into the man’s mind, extracting any memory of the cargo flight and rips himself free from the nasty meatbag he was in. He crawls out of an open window and jumps out, latching himself onto a pigeon roosting on a balcony on one of the lower levels. They don’t look at the dust which swirls from the city as they fly up, up, up, onto the upper floor loading docks. Venom finds their plane and goes to sleep on one of the crates, careful to not overload the pigeon’s body and send it into organ failure too early. It’s deteriorating already. How disgusting. If only Edd-   
  
A sharp spike of ice forms in their chest and they cut that thought off immediately. They go to sleep, alone.


	2. one track mind, one track heart, (if i fail, i’ll fall apart)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im back, babes! you guys are so nice and im definitely planning to answer all of your comments!
> 
> also!! im writing ahead and id like to know if you guys would like to see some captain marvel? i'd like to include her, but i know nothing besides that shes part Kree and is probably a huge lesbian?? idk man feel free to comment your opinions on that if u want
> 
> anyways! heres the chapter!

When Venom wakes up, the door to the cargo plane is open. The sun blazes in through the door and there’s a small draft floating through the crates full of unidentified tech, but oddly enough, there are no workers coming in to check on the cargo. In fact, there are no people at all. They were planning to hop onto the first person they came across, but after listening for the chatter of humans or any animal really, Venom realizes that there are no people to hop onto. Yes, they can hear the humming of various power lines and the high pitched hiss of _something_ belowground nearby, but they can’t hear any people, which is kind of a problem. There’s a little bit of movement in the castle, though, a little glimmer as light sensors activate, a hiss as a power line activates belowground. Either way, their pigeon-host is running out of organs to eat, so their options moving forward are fairly limited.

 

They step out with their little pigeon feet and notice the smoke streaming out from various buildings in the city as well as in the forest surrounding the esteemed kingdom. There’s a huge battleground full of corpses in the grasslands, all of the meat too charred or radiated to be food. It’s a three out of ten from Venom: awful view, no people to eat and the Wakandan technology gives them a headache. What a pain to find a group of people that could help their dilemma. (Oh, the things they do for love…) They spread their wings and fly towards the tallest, fanciest building within the city, the one which is obviously some sort of modern palace. It’s not a long flight, but there’s so much sun and it’s so hot that Venom believes they might actually be boiling alive in the nasty meat suit they’re in.

 

They land on a balcony and manage to trick the motion sensors enough to let them in. From there, it’s stupidly easy to follow the sounds of commotion into a long room with ceilings that are too high for their own good. The room is sort of like a conference room if business buildings had too much money, and sitting in the luxury chairs is a group of individuals who look too easy to eat. They must be the Avengers. They’re arguing, though, like the one picture of the founding fathers that Eddie had shown Venom on one of their museum trips with Anne, so Venom sits down on one of the fancy panther-adorned ledges to watch the show.   

 

“What now?” asks one to a silent room.

 

A second pounds their fist on the table, “We must track down the infinity stones and kill Thanos to fix this!”

 

“We can’t leave the Earth alone in a time like this,” argues a third, “We need to stay and do damage control!” Avenger number three is a coward. Perhaps Avenger two would be a good temporary host. Venom does not know what a “Thanos” and the “the infinity stones” are, but they sound like tasty snacks.

 

“Can we split up and fix things that way?” inquires a fourth, tentatively. Three people scream “No!” in unison. One gives them the most condescending look Venom has ever seen. The fourth shrinks back into their chair and stares at the wood grain on the table.

 

“So... what now?” asks the first again.

 

Their arguing is comedically circular and Venom is tired of it. Nothing is getting done, and they are no closer to finding out anything about the situation. Half the people in the chairs are crying and look like they are about to drink bleach straight from the bottle, and the other half are being stupid and arguing in circles. Aren’t the Avengers supposed to be heroes? (Weren’t there supposed to be more of them?)

 

Their pigeon’s legs are beginning to give out and their vision is becoming blurry; organ failure is really beginning to set in. It’s time for extreme measures. Venom collects themself, then throws themself onto the closest person to their ledge, sinking into their skin before the person can even register their weight. Their new host is a tall, bald woman wearing intricate red armor. She looks strong, and Venom can’t help but wonder if Riot would like them now, jumping from host to host like a parasite. They sink into her skin, and the first thing they notice is the pain and loss swirling in her mind, raw like a gaping void. It stirs feelings inside Venom that they have been supressing, and immediately they distance themselves from her mind as much as possible. Rage is the only thing they can feel right now. Grief will only slow them down and they need Eddie back as soon as possible.

 

 **DO NOT PANIC, OKOYE. NEED HELP**. they say into her mind, pressing sincerity into their voice as much as possible. She does not break composition once, even as her eyes roll silver for a second; she is so unlike Eddie it hurts.

 

“Who are you? What do you want?” she whispers under her breath, but everyone is too caught up in something else to notice.

 

**EDDIE IS GONE. PEOPLE DISAPPEARED. WHY IS THAT.**

 

“It was a man named Thanos. Why are you in my head?” Okoye whispers a bit more forcefully.  A girl who was previously spitting metaphorical fire at another dude across the table turns and frowns at her.

 

“Okoye, are you okay?” she asks, “You’re acting kind of weird.”

 

**WE WILL EAT HER IF SHE THREATENS US.**

 

Okoye moves like a gunshot, too fast for Venom to counter her, dropping her weapon with a loud clang on the floor while smashing her wrists together with a twisting motion. Some weird beads on her wrists lock together, creating a pair of handcuffs out of a funny metal that Venom is sure they’ve never seen before. The girl next to her ( _Shuri_ , they pull from her mind,) is up in an instant, pointing a pair of repulsors at their face.

 

Venom groans internally. Why are humans so mean? This could have been so easy but now they have a pair of hand cannons pointed at them.

 

 **THAT WASN’T NICE, OKOYE. BE GLAD I WON’T EAT YOUR LIVER FOR THIS** , they whisper to her.

 

Her eyes widen and she is only able to say “There’s something inside m-” before Venom clamps their mouth shut. The handcuffs are annoying, and somehow, they’re having trouble breaking through them. Oh well. It seemed like they’d have to use their words. They seep into Okoye’s nervous system and take control of her body. She puts up a fight, but she’s not used to having a symbiote like Eddie was, and all she can really do is make their muscles spasm uncomfortably.

 

Shuri’s cannons charge up quickly, “Whoever you are, you better get out of Okoye this second! We’ve gotten really sick of aliens in the past day and I’m on my last nerve!” she growls. Everyone else has noticed the commotion and have drawn their weapons.  There are dried tear marks on most of their faces, and everyone has a mixture of smudged paint, dirt and blood smeared on their clothing and armor. They look tired and worn, but wary and anticipatory.

 

Venom seeps out of Okoye’s body and covers her with their tendrils, being careful to not wrap around their bound wrists.

 

 **HELLO** , they rumble, **MY NAME IS VENOM. I AM HERE FOR HELP**.

 

A blond man pacing next to a raccoon raises an eyebrow “Hello Venom, I am Thor. Why might you be in Commander Okoye? Could you get out of her so we may speak face to face?”

 

**REQUIRE HOST. NEED HELP.**

 

Next to Venom, Shuri fumes. “Get out of her!” she screams, “What do you want?”

 

 **OKOYE IS FINE. SHE WILL NOT BE HARMED. WE WANT EDDIE BACK. HE WAS THERE AND THEN HE WAS DUST. WHO DID IT? WE WILL RIP THEIR SKIN FROM THEIR FLESH AND THEY’LL BE A MEATY FLESHBAG SCREAMING ON THE FLOOR, AS THEY SHOULD BE. THEN WE WILL EAT THEM.** Shuri looks more appeased, but still on guard. That is fine. Venom knows she will not harm them as long as Okoye is still alive inside them. Okoye herself seems to have stopped resisting, having noticed that fighting is futile and that she is not, in fact, being eaten alive.

 

“We?” questions a blonde woman with calculating eyes.

 

**EDDIE AND I WERE WE. NOW EDDIE IS GONE SO IT IS JUST I.**

 

She, who is called Natasha by Okoye, continues, “And who was Eddie?”

 

 **MY... HOST.** Natasha raises an eyebrow but says nothing, allowing Venom to continue. **HE WAS MINE AND I WAS HIS. WHO KILLED EDDIE?**

 

“A Titan named Thanos! He collected the Infinity Stones of the universe, put them on his stupid Infinity Gauntlet and snapped away half the fucking universe just like that,” growls a raccoon that has to stand on the conference chair just to be seen, “Anything else you want to know, you freaky ball of slime? Our credit chip number? Perhaps our NovaCore identity number? Oh, wait! They’ve been demolished by that same psycho!”

 

Venom shifts, their tongue waving in the air. **I REMEMBER THE TITAN RACE. THEY WERE MUCH-DESIRED HOSTS FOR MY RACE. HARD TO KILL, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS YOUR SHIP? I WILL EAT HIM.**

 

A sliver of surprise flickers through Venom’s mind from Okoye. “You will help us? Help me regain my king?” she asks, unheard by the heroes outside. Venom shifts their focus from the heroes outside to speak with her.

 

 **IF IT BRINGS EDDIE BACK AS WELL,** they reply.

 

Okoye stops working against him and slackens. “Do not make me regret this,” she commands, then twists their hands in a way that unlocks the cuffs on their hands. Pleased, they send her the most sincere feeling of appreciation they can manage at the moment. They tune into the Avenger’s conversation again, only to be disappointed. They are arguing again, somehow managing to forget about the black figure towering over everyone.

 

 **STOP!** they shout, their voice a blend of Venom’s roar and Okoye’s displeased tone. Venom recedes back into Okoye’s body, choosing instead to trail their head out from her shoulder blades instead. Okoye is once again standing ramrod-straight, looking like a perfectly composed commander once again. She sends a warm look to Shuri before she and Venom turn their heads towards the rest of the Avengers. **ARE YOU NOT AVENGERS? DO YOU NOT AVENGE?** Venom asks.

 

“Yes, but-” says an unidentified Avenger. Venom is tired of their shit. Okoye agrees.

 

 **BUT WHAT?** Black stripes crawl up their neck as their ire grows.

 

“We need to help the Earth! They need us!”

 

**THE EARTH IS NOT SAFE UNTIL THANOS IS GONE. WE WILL HUNT HIM DOWN, WITH YOUR HELP OR NOT.**

 

“But-” whatever excuse the Avenger is about to spout is cut off by powerful boom heard from outside.  


	3. we talked about making it (i'm sorry that you never made it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> holy shit guys!! im so sorry for not updating!! i didnt forget about this, i just had a shit ton of deadlines + finals and had to put the fic on hold for a bit. im on break now, though, so expect more consistent updating
> 
> also,,,, kudos to whoever recognizes the song that the title is from (and the others, too!)

Everyone rushes out of the conference room, following Okoye and Shuri into a large aircraft platform on the roof. A large _something_ is shooting through the atmosphere, looking only vaguely like it is about to crash. Another boom is heard and the ship evens out a considerable amount, now having a visible trajectory towards an open field not full of corpses or broken machinery.

 

A blond man in a stylized reconnaissance suit ( _Steve Rogers,_ Okoye supplies _, that is Captain America_ ) begins shouting orders, “Banner, Rhodes, Shuri! Stay here and watch Okoye and Venom. Go back to the meeting room and lock the doors. Okoye and Venom are not to leave the room.” He says this looking at Shuri, who rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue. The “Banner” man looks vaguely intimidated by Venom (and most likely Okoye, too, now that they think about it) but Rhodes just straightens his back when they look at them with their opalescent eyes. Rogers continues, “Thor, Thor’s friend, and Natasha, come with me. We’ll scout out the ship and figure out what’s going on. Clear?” Venom vaguely surprised. Didn’t they think them a threat? They’re just ignoring the man-eating (not that they know that, of course. Eddie always told them that talking about eating heads tends to get people kicked out of places) alien coming out of Okoye’s left shoulder. What the heck?

 

Various sounds of affirmation are heard and people begin to move; Okoye is led into the back of the meeting room by their supposed handlers as the other group mobilizes towards the smoking ship which landed roughly mere minutes ago. They are led to the corner the furthest away from the door, of which Rhodes is standing in front of. Banner and Shuri take seats on Okoye’s opposing sides. It does not escape Okoye’s notice that Shuri has not disengaged her hand cannons. Banner glances uncertainly at Shuri, and when she shows no signs of wanting to speak, he begins to talk. Venom’s head swivels to face him.

 

“Hello, my name is Bruce Banner. I’m a scientist, and I’d like to know more about you, Venom. Would you mind if I asked you some questions while we wait for the other group?”

 

Venom’s eyes narrow. Bruce Banner is much different from Carlton Drake, more respectful, more kind. They could take the risk, just this once. If not, they’ll just eat them. He seems like he tastes like pistachio and dark chocolate. **MY RACE IS THE KLYNTAR. WE ARE KNOWN AS SYMBIOTES TO THE UNIVERSE,** they state.

 

“Can you tell me more about them? If not, about your hosts?”

 

Venom hesitates. They hadn’t even told Eddie about their home planet, why tell a little man who smelled of beast things they hadn’t even told their other half? They fib a little bit, responding with, **OUR HOME PLANET IS NOT SOMETHING I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT. IT IS TOO GRUESOME AND DIFFERENT FOR YOUR CRUDE LITTLE BRAINS TO COMPREHEND. I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT HOSTS, THOUGH.**

 

Banner looks intrigued, and so they continue. **HOSTS ARE MY PEOPLE’S WAY OF LIVING. WE FIND A HOST AND LIVE WITHIN THEM.**

 

“Like a parasite?” asks Rhodes from his place by the door.

 

 **NOT A PARASITE! A SYMBIOTE!** yells Venom, sliding across Okoye’s body like an oil spill. **APOLOGIZE!**

 

Rhodes backtracks quickly and mutters out a quick “sorry” before shutting his mouth. It is too bad Okoye has figured out how to prevent Venom from moving their body even when they are covering her, or Rhodes would be like ground beef smushing around in their mouth. He doesn't seem like he tastes like raw beef, though. More like fried circuits and bratwurst– Banner coughs lightly to get their attention again; he’s oddly calm despite the fact that Venom’s drool is creating a small puddle on the expensive hardwood table. They slither back into Okoye’s body and peek their head out as they did before. Banner smiles lightly and inquires about some other things, too, always managing to sound amazed with every response they give him.

outhey notice out of the corner of their eye.The longer the ~~interrogation~~ interview goes on, the more relaxed Shuri gets. Perhaps it’s because she can see the clear distinction between Venom and Okoye, but she no longer looks like she wants to roast Venom on a pike as they had seen on TV. Eventually, she becomes comfortable enough to tentatively ask if Okoye is still in there or if it’s just Venom in Okoye’s body. Venom turns their head to look at Okoye, who answers in a voice that is simultaneously dry and affectionate at the same time.

 

“I’m afraid I will have to put up with your experiments for some time yet,” she says, and as she speaks, Venom can see the spark returning to Shuri’s eyes. There’s still a loss for someone… a king? Her brother? Someone named T’Challa? Okoye’s mind is like a dark pit, and Venom feels like if they dig too deep in there they might have to confront some things they most certainly don’t want to. When Shuri hugs her, however, tucking her head into Okoye’s shoulder and careful to not brush against Venom in any way, she softens and the pit in her mind gets lighter. Shuri lets go of Okoye and sits back in her seat, smiling for the first time they’ve seen her. It’s cute. Venom likes her.

 

They sit in awkward silence for a bit. Rhodes powers down the annoying, high-pitched suit which surrounds him, bringing divine silence to Venom. Shuri is talking to Bruce in a low tone, talking about things that sound like they should be in the reruns of Star Trek that Venom and Eddie like to watch sometimes. Rhodes looks as lost as Venom feels, but Okoye seems content to sit there quietly, observing. How boring! Eddie would always talk to Venom or at least feed them the chocolate that he always carries in his pockets. Okoye doesn’t even have pockets! She just has so many knives that Venom wonders how she moves without impaling herself.

 

There’s a small knock at the door, then it opens quietly. Steve walks in, followed by Natasha and the rest of their group. Everyone spills through the doors quickly, looking kind of awkward and out of place, tailed by a short man with a glowy grey outfit and a blue woman that smells like metal.

The blue woman is obviously your run of the mill, no bullshit type women who will shank you if you breathe too hard; the short man, on the other hand, is more interesting. He stands stiffly next to the raccoon-thing standing next to Thor, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else but also like he’s seen the end of the world and is ready for the next fight. In a way, Venom supposes he has. He’s got oil stains and ship parts on his clothes, his hair, his skin, but there’s also a slight trace of the cursed grey dust on his hands and face. (There are tear marks clearing the soot from his face and his jacket has a wet patch on his left sleeve… )

 

Venom hides back in Okoye’s skin before they see them, and listens.

 

“Tony-” starts Natasha, looking vaguely uncomfortable. She’s cut off by the machinery in Rhodes’ suit powering up as he dashes over to give “Tony” the most desperate hug Venom’s seen all day. There’s distressed whispering and an awkward silence before Tony (and consequently, Rhodes) slumps to the floor. He’s gasping for breath, choking back sobs and clinging to Rhodes.

 

“I-I lost him. I lost Peter. I lost him. H-he turned into dust in my hands, Rhodey. He was there one second and then he was apologizing and then he was _gone,_ Rhodey. He’s gone,” babbles Tony, “He’s gone, Rhodey. I called Pep and--and she’s gone, too. It-it’s just you and me, Rhodey.”

 

Rhodes helps Tony up but does not let him go. Here’s a hard glint in his eyes. Tony is quiet now, looking at his hands, staring. “I’m going to kill him,” whispers Tony, although it might have been a shout with how quiet the conference room is.

 

Venom grins from beneath Okoye’s skin and wraps themself around her in a swift movement.

 

**I BELIEVE I CAN HELP WITH THAT.**

 

…

 

Unsurprisingly, it’s the blue woman who acts first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update is tomorrow as an apology gift <3


	4. (the road outside my house) is paved with good intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> let's pretend i posted this yesterday and not today at 1am pls and thank u 
> 
> also, happy holidays!! this is my early (or late, depending on the holiday, lmao) gift for u guys, since i don't know when i'll be updating again (it'll be soon, though! i have one chapter pre written and the outline has more shape)

She moves fast. Within seconds, the blue woman has tapped seven different spots on her arm and pulled out some sort of gun, pointing it at. Okoye. A shrill cry sounds throughout the room and in the span of a heartbeat, the sound grows so strong and high pitched that Venom feels themself seeping out of Okoye’s body, becoming exposed to the people around them.

 

Faintly, they can hear Okoye shouting for the blue lady to stop, but it the noise is getting louder and louder, and it’s so hard to breathe, and…

  
And they’re being picked up?  The noise cuts off suddenly, but Venom doesn’t notice, too disoriented to be aware of their surroundings, let alone respond to them. They can sense something move nearby, and they soon feel live body below them, picking them up. Desperate, they sink beneath the skin below they realize what they’re doing. They sink into their new host’s organs, reorienting themself as fast as possible.

 

It’s–oh. It’s Shuri. It makes sense; she was the closest to Okoye and Venom when the blue lady decided to actually try and murder Venom. She’s not a bad host, actually. She’s more similar to their Eddie in personality and is only slightly a better suited host than Okoye, but still. To be frank, Venom is surprised at their own lack of panic from almost being killed, but it seems like the past few days have taken their toll on them as well. They just don’t care as much anymore. Still, Venom doesn’t liking being tossed around between hosts like a hot potato. It’s disorienting and causes them to burn more energy than they’d like.

 

During their small moment of introspection, Shuri’s panicking, obviously. What else is one supposed to do when suddenly absorbing a goo alien? It’s almost comedic the amount of chaos that is going on in this tiny room with too many empty chairs. Shuri’s freaking out and everyone’s yelling, apart from the blue lady just looks irritated and is currently glaring holes at Venom’s new host.

 

“That is a symbiote,” she says, “you need to kill it before it consumes you.”

 

What a loser. Venom is going to space whether they like it or not, and they need a host to do that. How will they get into space without a meatsuit to hitch a ride in? They will get Eddie back one way or another, and if they have to fight everyone here, so be it. A spike of fear courses through Shuri’s veins, but it is not her that comes to Venom’s defense.

 

“They will not harm us,” replies Okoye, “They are trying to get to Thanos. He took something of theirs.” How sensible. Okoye is not a loser.

 

The blue lady snorts. “A symbiote does not hold emotional attachments to anything. They cannot prevent their consumption, they must feed on flesh or die. In my years travelling throughout the universe, I have seen their race consume entire populations within a few years. They spawn, they leech, they consume. It is within their nature.”

 

How rude! The blue lady hasn’t even introduced herself and she already sounds like Riot if they were a robot lady. Either way, they won’t let Okoye fight their battles. They have to maintain _some_ dignity, after all. They seep out of Shuri’s skin, ignoring the full-body shudder that goes through her when they do so. “ **WE WANT EDDIE AND WE WANT TO EAT THE TITAN’S HEAD. WE WILL EAT HIS HEAD AND HE WILL DIE GRUESOMELY AND PAINFULLY. IT WILL BE HILARIOUS.** ”

 

The heroes assembled nearby look alarmed. (It’s like they didn’t believe them when Venom said that they liked to eat heads… but that couldn’t be it, could it?)  Multiple people look like they’re about to interrupt, but Bruce makes a little movement with his hands and they all sit down.

 

The woman narrows her eyes, and responds: “And how will you prevent yourself from eating everyone on the ship? Surely you need some sort of food.”

 

“ **WE LIKE CHOCOLATE AND WE LIKE TATER TOTS. WE LIKE HEADS, TOO, BUT EDDIE SAYS ONLY THE BAD ONES.** ”

 

“And how do we know we can trust you? You could be lying.”

 

“ **IF I WERE LYING, THESE HEROES WOULD BE CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCHING IN MY MOUTH ALREADY.** ”

 

Everyone looks vaguely alarmed and Rogers stands up. “You eat heads?” he questions, one eyebrow raised.

 

“ **I NEED PHENYLETHYLALANINE. IF I AM FED CHOCOLATE, WE WILL NOT EAT YOUR ORGANS.** ”

 

Rogers looks to Bruce, who shrugs, “I mean, they’re not wrong. It _is_ found in chocolate, some kinds of fungi, and the central nervous system, since the brain uses it to stimulate happiness or love.”

 

“ **WE ALSO LIKE MEAT. NOT DEAD MEAT. RAW.** ”

 

Bruce shrugs again, “Proteins, probably? I don’t really know.”

 

Rogers seems to accept the answer and turns to the blue woman. “Nebula, what do you think? Can we trust it?”

 

Oh. Her name is Nebula. She looks at them curiously. They stare back at her, smiling with all of their teeth. “... Yes. Keep them near me, however. I will kill them if they step out of line, but the Klyntar are incredibly resourceful. It would be useful to have one in our fight against Thanos.”

 

Most look dubious, but trust Nebula’s analysis and the fact that Okoye and Shuri are not, in fact, dead on the floor. If they’re accepting them this fast, they must be extremely desperate. (Then again, so are they...) They grin at Nebula, saliva pooling on the floor in front of Shuri’s fancy rolly-chair. They slide back under Shuri’s skin, listening as the heroes argue as to what to do next. The talks are so boring! Venom isn’t paying attention, they’re too busy getting acclimated with their new host, but Shuri’s paying attention and they get the general gist of things from the thoughts that float around in her mind.

 

Essentially, now that they have the ship, most of the Avengers seem more willing to leave Earth, but that’s still some ways off. They still have to _fix_ the ship, after all. It did have a pretty rough landing not even four hours ago. After that, it’s decided that Rocket will lead them to the nearest port to steal a better ship and _then_ they can go kill Thanos. Apparently Nebula knows where he is. Of course she does.

 

Tony and pretty much everyone stays back to fix the rocket and collect supplies. As it turns out, most of the heroes left are some sort of scientist or engineer, so they want an excuse to play with the fun danger tech. Okoye leaves, stating that she needs to stabilize the country now that their king is gone. (Shame. They liked her.) Shuri almost follows, but Venom whispers to her that if she wants any chance of getting her brother back, she should help fight Thanos. Surprisingly, Shuri doesn’t ignore them when they talk to her and decides to stay.

 

Some of the heroes want to check on people, though. They’re very adamant on checking in on someone called “Hawkeye” and Ant-Man, so Shuri offers them a small plane to take and go check in on their friends. (That’s good. Venom always liked watching Ant-Man on the local news while Eddie wrote reports.)  Rogers and Natasha leave in that plane, promising to be back within a week.

 

Somehow, when they leave, the tension in the room disappears completely. What happened there? Shuri tells them to forget about it, that it’s not important. She then leads the science group down to the labs, making a quick stop to the kitchens for all the chocolate she can possibly carry. Venom immediately forgets about their earlier train of thought. If she didn’t do it out of apprehension towards them, they’d thank her. Instead, they open their maw impossibly wide and swallow their treat, wrappers and all.

 

\---

 

Four days pass.

The ship repairs are taking a really long time and Venom is quickly running out of patience. Shuri sticks to Nebula like glue, which sounds annoying but is really so much worse than that. It’s torture. Neither Nebula nor Shuri will let them do anything, to the point where they sleep in shifts to make sure Venom does not do anything shifty with Shuri’s body. The lack of faith they have in Venom is almost hurtful, honestly. They’d complain, but then they might put them to work or stick them in a jar or something, so they just keep their mouth shut. (Metaphorically, of course. They do love smiling.)

 

It’s not all bad, though. Venom talks to Banner and Tony as they work, and they tell Venom all about the animosity between the Avengers in exchange for information about their race. Who knew humans were so full of drama? (Joke’s on Venom, though. After a year of being with Eddie, they know all about how dramatic humans can be.) Thor and Rhodes are busy gathering and packing supplies, but from what Venom hears, Thor is one of those Asgardians that their coworker-roomate-fellow explorer Trauma said were ridiculously hard to bond with and tasted like light. Venom bets they would have liked attempting to conquer Thor. It’s probably a good thing they died in the Life Foundation, though. They were… too much of a conqueror, to say the least.

 

They’re almost done stabilizing the ship when they are herded into their original conference room for an update on the plane they sent out. Natasha calls in, saying that there have been complications. Apparently, she and Rogers were able to find Ant-Man and Hawkeye’s last locations, but Ant-Man was stuck in something called the Quantum Realm after his teammates vanished and they had to pull him out. He decided to stay in San Francisco, apparently, claiming that he needed to support his family and guard Pym labs. Hawkeye was much worse off, though. According to Natasha, he and his wife got the short end of the stick and ended up dust, leaving their two kids and baby alone. They don’t have any family that is both alive and stable enough to take care of the three kids, so Natasha states that she and Steve will be heading back with Hawkeye’s kids and should arrive in around four hours.

 

Venom looks at Tony when they say this, and watches him tense up. Bruce told them in private about what happened between Tony and Rogers, and although they would take Roger’s side in the argument, (Venom, too, would destroy the world for his love) Tony was hurt, too.

 

“ **EDDIE ALWAYS WANTED TO MEET YOU,** ” they say. Shuri is talking to Banner on their other side, pretending not to listen in.

 

Tony looks away from the dark monitor. “Oh?”

 

“ **YES. HE SAID YOU WERE TOO COCKY AND NAIVE TO BE RUNNING A COMPANY** , **THAT YOU BELIEVED TOO MUCH IN PEOPLE’S HONESTY TO BE A WEAPONS PRODUCER,** ” Tony frowns a bit, but Venom continues anyway. “ **BUT HE ALSO SAID YOU HAD CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. HE LIKED THAT.** ”

 

Tony smiles a little bit and watches as people begin to exit the room. “It’s good to know that I’ve got someone other than Rhodey to count on. He’s been holding me up so long that people are starting to think he’s part of the architecture. Now that Peter’s gone… ”

 

“ **PETER WAS YOUR EDDIE?** ”

 

“Not quite. I lost my, uh… my kid. And my Eddie, too. I guess. I left her alone to follow one of Thanos’s ships and she called us off. It’s probably for the best.”

 

“ **IF SHE DOESN’T TAKE YOU BACK THEN YOU DIDN’T LOSE YOUR EDDIE, YOU LOST YOUR ANNE. EDDIE LOST HIS ANNE. THEN HE FOUND ME AND ANNE FOUND DAN.** ”

 

“So you’re telling me to what, keep looking? ”

 

“ **PROBABLY. I DON’T KNOW HUMANS. YOU’RE STUPID AND EMOTIONAL AND HAVE TOO MANY RULES.** ”

 

Tony chuckles. “Thanks, Silly Putty, see you around. Tell our jocks I’m in the labs.” He looks happier than before, and walks out of the conference room in the direction of the assembly labs. The moment his steps begin to fade, Shuri rounds in on Venom.

 

“What was _that_ for?” she demands.

 

“ **TONY FELT LOSS. WANTED TO HELP.** ”

 

“How do _you_ know about loss? You’re a symbiote. Nebula says your race doesn’t make emotional attachments to anything”

 

“ **WELL, NEBULA IS WRONG AND SHOULD NOT BE SPREADING RUMORS. BESIDES, I TOLD YOU ALREADY. WE HAD EDDIE, BUT NOW HE IS GONE. WE NEED EDDIE TO BE VENOM.** ”

 

“But you are Venom, aren’t you?”

 

“ **VENOM IS EDDIE AND ME. I COULD FIND ANOTHER, BUT IT WOULDN’T BE THE SAME. EDDIE IS SPECIAL.** ”

 

“Why?”

 

Venom hesitates, and instead of replying, sends her an imprint of Eddie’s bond. It’s warm and fills their entire being, feeling a sense of complete perfection, of _wholeness._ It’s like someone shone the sun at Shuri’s soul, warming her from the inside out. There’s so much emotion, so much _love_ that it hurts, like if she was alone she’d lose all meaning to her life. Even then, she can feel that Venom is holding back. They won’t show her the whole bond, it’s too private, too _special_ to be thrown around, but they believe Shuri gets the idea. They show her the sensation of complete anguish they felt as Eddie disappeared around them. Tears crawl out of her eyes, and she quickly walks out of the room to avoid questioning from the others.

 

She sits on the floor, back to the wall, trying to stabilize herself against a new grief that adds on to her own grief for her brother. Waves of loneliness suffocate her; she feels like someone dipped her in the arctic ocean and told her to swim to shore, but the ice has frozen over and _she can’t breathe._ Her breath is leaving her- it’s too much _toomuchtoomuch–_ Venom cuts off the sensation. Shuri opens her eyes (when did she close them?) and takes a couple deep breaths to the beat of their heart.

 

“Oh,” she whispers. Venom hums under her skin.

 

She’s less cold to them after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly longer chapter! i hope you enjoyed it!! pls tell me what you think!!


	5. open sesame (we've places to go)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait!! you guys are amazing and ill try to reply to your comments soon!!

It takes two more days for the ship to be finished. It’s not in prime condition, barely enough to get them to a port, but it’s enough. They’ve packed food in there for months, fully aware of how long they might be gone. There’s most certainly not enough room for everyone and the air recycling systems will have to be carefully monitored to make sure they don’t give out, but five days after the Vanishing, the Avengers and assorted co. are finally ready to reach Thanos. 

 

They’re standing on the tarmac runway, getting to leave when Natasha clears her throat and states, “I’m not going.”

 

Immediate protests rise up, almost a dozen voices varying from confused to angry to just upset. Rogers especially looks hurt but somewhat unsurprised. Natasha seemed to have expected this, and she turns to the group properly. “Clint’s kids don’t have any parents. They need someone they know and besides, someone needs to keep an eye on things here. I can take one of the comms we found on the ship to keep in contact, but there are things I need to fix here.”

 

People begin to argue again and Rhodey clears his throat loudly. Nobody listens, bickering until Tony yells for everyone’s attention.

 

“I’m staying, too.” says Rhodey, “Tony and I talked about it and we decided that I need to support Stark Industries and help the government with whatever I can while you guys are gone. That’s not even to mention that if my suit goes out while we’re in space, my bracers will deactivate and I won’t be able to walk, let alone fight. ”

 

That’s when Venom realizes that these people are not a team, just a bunch of heroes too emotional to work as a group. (But how is Venom any different?) This trip is just a group of crooks carpooling to rob the same building independently instead of one group working together. People can quit whenever the hell they want to, a philosophy that is great in everyday life but is not so great when people are going into life-threatening situations. Venom’s optimism drops. A sliver of doubt worms its way into their mind, beginning to tear apart their carefully built dams which hold back seas and seas of grief. This isn’t the time. 

 

Rogers asks if anyone else would like to leave. Nobody answers.

 

They finish preparing in silence. It’s about noon when they finish, and before long they’re standing on the runway, just looking at the ship. Thor walks onto the ship first, followed quickly by Rocket and Nebula. Venom urges Shuri to get onboard quickly and as soon as they do, Bruce and Tony shuffle behind them. Steve is the last one to board, looking determined but also very much nervous. 

 

Rocket gets in the copilot seat, gives the head pilot’s seat an odd look, and then slowly sits in the head pilot seat. Nebula takes a seat next to him and doesn’t say anything, just gives him a look that Venom and Shuri can’t quite understand. He flips some switches on the console, sealing the doors behind them and disengaging the landing gear. The engine of the ship begins to groan, and they’re off.

 

\---

 

The flight is too long.

 

They’re making good time: only about an hour left until they reach the trade center that Rocket is leading them to. The problem lies in that the ship that everyone’s packed into just too small for the amount of people they have. The ship which they repurposed is just a little transport ship from Thanos’ flagship, the _ Sanctuary.  _ Had it been at the prime of its lifetime, it would have been able to support their crew comfortably, but almost half of the rooms are unsafe to stay in for long periods of time. It seemed that with the small amount of time which was given, Earth’s most daring scientists were unable to get automated life support  _ and  _ thermal regulation in every part of the ship. In all honesty, Venom can’t blame him. Carlton Drake had too much time to work on  _ his  _ ship, and he was banking on having a symbiote to keep him alive for the majority of the trip. 

 

It’s almost comical how people are just camped out on the floor, making it impossible to pace or move around. Nobody is really talking, since the moment anyone says anything, at least three overworked scientists wake up and grouch at everyone. There have been three arguments from that in the past four hours alone, by Venom and Shuri’s count. All in all, the ship is awful and that’s all that matters, really. 

 

Fuck, the ship is so ridiculously boring. Maybe they should eat someone. It’s not like they have any self-control to say no. She’d just yell at them and make them feel bad but Venom wouldn’t care ‘cause there’d be bones crunch-crunch-crunching in their mouth and wonderful, delicious,  _ live  _ meat…  

 

Who  _ would  _ they eat, anyway? They’d never eat Nebula. She scares them and she’s the only one who knows where Thanos is. Perhaps they’d eat everyone except Nebula and Shuri. And Tony, ‘cause he’s a loser and Venom has a stupid little soft spot for morons. And Rocket, ‘cause he’d be too crunchy and tickle on the way down. They’d definitely eat Thor and Steve –they look like they’d be perfectly beefy and taste like ambrosia and strength– and probably Bruce, too, just to see if he tastes like pistachio or not. Maybe they  _ should _ eat Shuri. She’d probably taste bitter. Maybe they could just sneak a tast–

 

“If you eat me, I’m telling Nebula to turn on her arm speakers.” 

 

Oops. Perhaps they, uh, they should’ve been more discreet. Good thing nobody is paying attention to them; everyone’s too preoccupied either zoning out or trying to catch another thirty-six hours of sleep.

 

**_THAT’S MEAN, SHURI._ ** they respond mentally. She shrugs minutely.

 

“It’s really not mean if you’re talking about eating me. That’s just not how it works.”

 

**_IRRELEVANT. HOW ABOUT WE FIND OUT? CAN I EAT YOUR APPENDIX? WHAT ABOUT YOUR TONSILS? DO YOU HAVE AN EXTRA TENDON?_ **

 

Shuri shuffles on the area of the floor she’s laying on. “Hmmm, let me think. Ah, right! No, no and no. Stop trying to eat me, I just fed you! I gave you chocolate!”

 

**_WE WANT MEAT! LIVE MEAT!_ **

 

“It’s almost like an actual three-year-old is talking to me! Do you know how to share? Hands to yourself? Can you hold an imaginary bubble in your mouth?”

 

**_YOU’RE BEING VERY INSENSITIVE TO MY BIOLOGICAL NEEDS, SHURI. I AM HURT._ **

 

“I’m sure. Why don’t you hold a bubble in your mouth? Try not to pop it with your teeth.”

 

**_YOU’RE LIKE REGINA GEORGE IN MEAN GIRLS. MEAN TO ME._ **

 

“Oh-oh my god! You’ve watched Mean Girls? What else have you watched?”

 

**_YES! WE WATCH NETFLIX WHILE EDDIE’S SLEEPING. HE ONLY WATCHES SUSPENSE MOVIES AND BAKING SHOWS. WE LIKE GREY’S ANATOMY AND GLEE._ **

 

Shuri begins shaking, she’s laughing so hard. “This little goo monster watches Glee! This is too much!”

 

**_WE ARE NOT A GOO MONSTER! WHY IS IT FUNNY. WHAT IS THE JOKE. SHURI, EXPLAIN._ **

 

“No way! This is too good to spoil!”

 

**_RACIST._ **

 

“Sure, Venom. If you say so.”

 

Venom rears back to make another argument but is interrupted by a loud  _ psst _ from the cockpit. Shuri turns to look behind her, only to see Rocket’s face peeking out from between the doorway. 

 

“Miss Highness, go wake everyone up, would ya? We’re docking,” he asks.

  
Shuri scowls. “Why don’t you do it? I’ll just get yelled at for waking everyone up.”

 

Rocket grins, although his eyes are still dull and emotionless. “Sorry princess, I’d totally do it but as you see,” he says, gesturing to the room he’s in, “I’m docking. That leaves you. Have fun!”

 

He shuts the door and she groans. Bored of doing nothing, Venom forms from her back, resting their head on her shoulder. Shuri gets up slowly and begins to wander around the ship. They find Thor awake, staring down at his battle axe, tracing the junctions and the grooves in the wood. Venom tastes the air.

 

**_SAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION._ **

 

She hums and knocks on the cold metal of the ship. Thor looks up from his place on the floor with a stony expression. 

 

“Hey, uh, Rocket’s going to land the ship soon. He wants to meet in the main common area. Is that… okay?”

 

“Yes. Of course.” Thor seems to shake off some of his funk and responds, “Who else do you need to find?”

 

“You’re the first, actually. Do you know where Bruce and Tony are? I think I know where Steve is, but I’m not sure about those two.”

 

“Ah, I know where they are! I’ll find them. The main commons, you said?”

 

Shuri nods. Thor begins to walk out of the room through a side door, but right before he reaches the doorway, Shuri calls, “Thor?”

 

“Yes, Princess?”

 

“I- Venom and I are here for you. I know I’m young and Venom is… Venom, but we like you and are open to talking if that’s what you need. I lost a brother, too.”

 

Thor smiles tightly. “It’s… it’s bigger than you or me or... or even Loki, Princess. I’ve lost a lot lately, it seems. My thanks, however.” 

 

Without another word, he walks out of the room. Shuri is left standing there, leaning on the doorway with her heart too close to her sleeve for her liking. She hesitates and then turns back the way she came.

 

**“SHURI?”** asks Venom. She doesn’t answer.

 

The walk is quiet and slightly awkward as Shuri navigates through rooms that are too cold, too hot or are hard to breathe in. She leads them down to the cargo hold, where Steve is standing, looking at all they’ve brought with them. He’s been down there for a bit, it seems, based on the slight redness of his face and the way his fingers have curled into his palm. Shuri steps behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder slowly so to not startle him. 

 

“We’re docking. Rocket wants us in the common area.”

 

Steve gives a noncommittal hum. It’s strange to see him unsure, to see him scared in comparison to the Captain America persona he wears on television. She watches as he takes one last glance at the stacks of rations, straightens his spine, and turns to face her. 

 

“Would you lead the way?”

 

Shuri nods, uncertain of what she’s just seen. 

 

The walk back is quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im desparately trying to pick up the pace but my nasty writer brain is not having it,,,  
> next chapter is almost done!


End file.
